What about Ta'Shia Phillips - going to get any sleep before that
early bus ride?

"I don't plan on it," the junior center said.

With all that packing to do, the ninth-ranked Musketeers played
like a team that wanted to get it over fast and get some rest.
Rutan scored a career-high 17 points, and Xavier (3-0)
substituted liberally on its way to its highest point total in
two years.

Then, it was time to get out the bags and get ready for a 5 a.m.
bus trip to the airport on Tuesday for a flight to the Bahamas.
The Musketeers will play No. 18 Kansas in a tournament there on
Thursday.

What about coach Kevin McGuff? Ready to go?

"I'm a last-minute packer," he said. "I'll go home tonight and
throw some stuff in the bag and wake up at 4:30 and get on the
bus."

McGuff's biggest concern against the overmatched Devilettes
(1-1) was whether his team would mentally pack it in a day
early. No chance of that. Xavier pulled ahead 35-9, giving
McGuff a chance to use all of his bench and work on some new
combinations on the floor.

"I talked to them about that," McGuff said. "What I conveyed to
them is whether we're playing Arizona State or Mississippi
Valley State, it's about us. If you're going to start picking
and choosing who you think is good and who's not, that's going
to really catch up to you at some point.

"I think we did a good job handling that, especially the way we
started the game. We had the right amount of intensity and
concentration."

Xavier opened the season with an overtime win at Southern
California and a 13-point victory over then-No. 14 Arizona State
before running away from the Devilettes, who were led by Ashley
Brown's 15 points.

Rutan, a long-range shooter, has been settling into an offense
that has a lot of options with Phillips and Amber Harris able to
score inside. The freshman from Pennsylvania has had career
highs in each of the last two games, and went 5 of 10 from
behind the arc on Monday night.

"I'm pretty settled in," Rutan said. "I'm getting used to the
offense and my role on the team."

Her role is to let it fly, giving the Musketeers two outside
options. Sophomore Tyeasha Moss went 4 of 6 from behind the arc
for 14 points.

"She's brought us another offensive threat," Phillips said of
the freshman. "It's helpful when you have so many shooters.
Rutan's a great shooter, Moss is a great shooter. It's easier
when you get double-teamed in the post. Now you have someone you
can throw it out to and they're going to hit almost every time."